Montana Highway 1 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Montana Highway 1
Pintler Scenic Loop
MT 1 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDT
Length	63.652 mi (102.438 km)
Existed	October 9, 1922–present
Major junctions
South end	I-90 near Opportunity
	MT 48 in Anaconda MT 38 in Porter's Corner
North end	I-90 in Drummond
Location
Counties:	Deer Lodge, Granite
Highway system
Montana Highways ← US 287 US 2 →

Montana State Highway 1 (often called MT 1) is a special road in southwestern Montana, United States. It stretches through Deer Lodge and Granite counties. This highway starts and ends at Interstate 90.

MT 1 is also known as the Pintler Scenic Loop. It's a beautiful drive that takes you to places like Philipsburg and the areas around Georgetown Lake. This road was one of the first in Montana to be fully paved. It has changed a lot over the years.

Exploring Montana Highway 1

MT 1 winds through amazing mountain landscapes. You'll see open meadows and pretty valleys. The road goes up and down, gaining a lot of height in some spots. It connects back to Interstate 90 at the end of its scenic journey.

What is MT 1?

MT 1 is a type of state highway. This means it's a road managed by the state of Montana. It helps people travel between towns and see beautiful sights. The highway is about 63.65 miles (102.4 km) long.

For many years, MT 1 was also known as U.S. Highway 10 Alternate (US 10 ALT). This changed in 1986. That's when US 10 was replaced by Interstate 90 in this area. So, MT 1 got its current number.

A Journey Through Time: MT 1's History

MT 1 was first named on October 9, 1922. It followed a path similar to where it is today. By 1924, it was part of the National Parks Highway Auto Trail. This trail went from Opportunity through Anaconda and Philipsburg to Drummond.

Back then, the road was mostly dirt. By 1925, the part from the start to Anaconda was paved. Other parts were slowly improved over the years. By 1929, the entire road was at least graded. This means it was smoothed out, even if it wasn't paved yet.

By 1937, MT 1 was also called US 10. Later that year, US 10 changed its route. So, MT 1 became US 10 ALT. By 1948, the section from Philipsburg to Drummond was paved. In 1951, the entire length of MT 1/US 10 ALT was paved. This made travel much easier!

Over the next few decades, different parts of the highway were rebuilt. This made the road safer and more modern. In 1986, US 10 was replaced by Interstate 90 in Montana. Because of this, MT 1 no longer shared its number with US 10 Alternate. It became just MT 1. The road has been updated a few times since then, with the last changes happening in 2008.

Where Does MT 1 Go?

MT 1 connects several towns and areas in southwestern Montana. It's a loop that starts and ends at Interstate 90.

Here are some of the main places MT 1 connects:

County	Location	Mile	Roads intersected	Notes
Deer Lodge	​	0.000	0.000	I-90	This is Exit 208 on I-90. It's the southern start of MT 1.
	Anaconda–Opportunity line	2.772	4.461	S-441
		4.390	7.065	S-274 (Mill Creek Road)
	​	5.546	8.925	MT 48	This is where MT 48 begins.
Granite	Porter's Corner	31.463	50.635	MT 38 (Skalkaho Pass Road)	This is where MT 38 begins.
	Philipsburg	38.219	61.508	S-348
	Hall	57.213	92.075	S-513 / S-512
	Drummond	63.652	102.438	I-90	This is Exit 153 on I-90. It's the northern end of MT 1.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi